U.S. Army Inadvertently Reveals New Hypersonic Weapon Concept On Flickr

Secretary of the Army, Hon. Ryan D. McCarthy, attends the Association of the United States Army's 2019 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., Oct. 14, 2019. (U.S. Army/Sgt. Dana Clarke)

Aviation Week: U.S. Army Flickr Page Inadvertently Reveals New Hypersonic Weapon Concept

A new hypersonic weapon concept has emerged inadvertently on a social media page managed by U.S. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy that describes a Mach 5-plus projectile with the ability to penetrate into defended airspace and dispense a multi-role loitering air system over a target area.

The concept—labeled as the Vintage Racer Loitering Weapon System—reveals a solution to an operational problem for the Army: When high-speed munitions, such as the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW), enter service with the ability to strike targets thousands of kilometers away, how will the Army find the most elusive targets, such as road-mobile launchers for intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) or radars for air defense batteries?

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Update #1: US Army appears to have let slip plans for new hypersonic weapon in a photo posted online (Business Insider)
Update #2: The Army accidentally revealed plans for a new hypersonic weapon on Flickr (Task & Purpose)

WNU Editor: Over the years I have posted many concepts on future weapon systems that were accidentally and inadvertently released, but never came to fruition. Will this one succeed? I guess we will find out in a few years.